The drive home from work is less than ideal; the silence has my head swarming with unwanted thoughts. The reason for that is, of course, Olive and Zeke. Seeing Zeke with Rose made my blood boil beyond belief. I tightly grip the steering wheel in an effort to unleash some of the building tension. This internal war that’s raging within is becoming too much. All because of the possibility of losing my girls to a guy who was supposed to be their world but chose to disappear before he realized what an honor that would be.
He’s a fuck-up. But what he’s described as a huge mistake allowed me to edge my way into Liv’s life, piece by beautiful piece. I just know he’s hoping to shove me back out of it.
My phone ringing through the speakers of my truck drags me from my brooding thoughts. I let out an exasperated sigh and hit answer on the steering wheel.
“Hey, Mom,” I say with slight apprehension.
“Hello, darling, how’s everything going?” she asks with the usual chirp in her tone.
I pull my truck up outside the bakery and grab my phone to remove it from the Bluetooth. Placing it between my head and shoulder, I turn the ignition off and get out, slamming the door behind me.
“Yeah, all good.”
She laughs. “By the sound of your voice and that door slamming, it doesn’t seem all good.” She mocks my last words. “What are you doing anyway?”
“Mom, cut me some slack. I’ve just pulled up at home after a damn long shift, and I want to take a nap before I go see Liv and Rose.” My voice hitches slightly on their names.
“Don’t think I didn’t hear that little croak in your voice, my boy. How is Olive and our adorable little Rose?” Damn it; she knows me all too well. Trying to get anything past her usually fails. I fight the urge to hang up and save this shit for another day as I open the door to go up to my apartment. Walking up the stairs two at a time, I reach the top and my shoulders slump as I shove my key into the door. I lean forward and rest my forehead against the wood.
“Mom, they’re good, but—”
She cuts me off. “But what, darling?” she whispers urgently.
“He’s back.” I let the words hang on the line as she draws in a sharp breath. I finally open the door and move to dump myself on the couch, hearing the door close behind me.
“Oh, Sebastian, you knew this could happen one day. I told you to prepare yourself for it. How’s Olive taking it?” She asks a question she probably already knows the answer to, but I give in and humor her.
“She’s taking it pretty hard, Mom. She’s so damn conflicted because she doesn’t want to deny Rose the right to know her father, but I know she’s walking a razor-thin line, worrying about my feelings, too.” I sigh. “I can’t help but be selfish in thinking that the idiot doesn’t deserve that privilege.” I spew out the words as though they were choking me.
She hums into my ear. “That’s completely understandable. Just try to stay strong, dear. She loves you, and so does Rose. Believe it or not, they’re going to need you during this time.” She’s quiet for a moment. “Don’t make any rash decisions just yet, and just be there for your girls. And who knows, maybe Zeke will move along when the novelty wears off?”
A novelty? I wished the same thing at first. But after seeing him with her, I know there’s no way he’ll give up Rose, and I could bet a pretty penny that he’s not going to give up on Liv that easy either. A humorless laugh escapes my throat. I throw my hand into my hair and tug it hard out of frustration.
“You have no idea. The way he looks at her is the exact way I imagine I look at her. I’m scared shitless that I’m going to lose her. Lose them both to the dickhead who betrayed them.” I pause. “I can’t let that happen.”
And I won’t. Someone like Liv and the way she makes me feel only comes along once in a lifetime. You don’t give that up without a fight, no matter who stands in the way. Just thinking about the way that fucker looks at her, as if she’s some kind of prize he’s gonna win back, has my gut roiling violently. Lying back on the couch, we both remain silent for a few moments. Mom’s gotta understand how hard this would be for me; she knows I’ve never felt this way about a woman—hell, anything—before. I’ve given my heart and soul to those two girls, and I won’t have someone rip that away from me. I’m all in; I just hope that Liv hasn’t got one foot out the door.
“Darling,” Mom interrupts my thoughts. “Don’t jump the gun yet, okay? It will honestly do you no good. Just take each day as it comes and love on those girls like there’s no tomorrow. You won’t lose in the end; I know you won’t.” She pauses. “Oh, speaking of tomorrow, Sienna has an appointment to get some fancy ultrasound photos done of the baby. I’ll send you some pictures when she gets them back.” She changes the subject. I’d say it was to get my mind off things, but that’s just her. I’m kinda surprised it took her this long into our call to mention it. But it works for about a second anyway.
“That’s great, Mom. I can’t wait to see them.” I feign excitement.
“You will be coming home when Sienna has the baby.” She doesn’t ask; she merely tells me what I’ll be doing.
“You know I will.”
“Well, I’ll let you sleep; say hi to Olive and Rose for me. And Seb, please stay out of trouble. I love you.” She sighs into the phone again; this woman definitely knows me too fucking well.
“I’ll try, Love you too, Mom.” I pull the phone away from my ear and hit the end call button before she has the chance to say anything else.
I hadn’t really thought much about having to go see my brother and Sienna when the baby is born; I guess my head has been too preoccupied with everything going on here. Thank God Liv has agreed to come with me even though bringing Rose with us is going to be tough on them both. The trip there is a pain in the ass even just for me. It’s long and so fucking boring. I usually do the drive with just one or two stops along the way, though I know I won’t be able to do that with the girls with me. But just thinking about having to leave Liv when my brother’s baby is born has me questioning my ability to be away from her, let alone leaving her now that Zeke’s back in town. It’s just not going to happen. As much as I trust Liv, I don’t trust that douchebag, especially when he’s hanging around my girl.
Rose’s father or not, he doesn’t deserve to have any kind of respect handed to him from me. He isn’t the champion he’s trying to make people believe he is, coming back for his daughter.
Fuck, he gave that title up nearly a year ago.
Rising from the couch, I head for the bathroom. I need a hot shower to wash away the sterile smell still embedded in my skin.
Pulling my clothes from my body, I dump them onto the floor of the bathroom and turn the faucet on, heating it to the perfect temperature. I step in and immediately reach for the body wash. Squirting some into my palm, I rub it into my hair. They say this shit is like a two-in-one—shampoo and body wash—so who the fuck am I to argue?
Tilting my head back to rinse the foam from my hair, I close my eyes, and as usual, all I can see is Liv. Those green eyes stare into mine with her legs wrapped around my waist, begging for me to take her harder. Without breaking the fantasy behind my closed lids, I place a hand on the glass shower door as I wrap the other firmly around my cock. Slowly moving it in a repetitive motion, I continue to slip further into the fatasy that Liv is really here. She’s now on her knees, gazing up at me with those perfect eyes, lips, and tits that fit in my hands like they were fucking made for me. Picking up my speed, I pump vigorously with little to no inhibition of what I am picturing in my head. It doesn’t take long for me to feel my balls begin to tighten. Grunting through clenched teeth, I lightly squeeze my cock, knowing I can’t hold out much more and that I need the release. I rapidly move my hand along it, now bracing myself firmly against the tiled wall with my other hand. Groaning with the intensity of it, I come, coating the shower tiles in front of me.
Coming down from my high, I stand under the steady stream and watch lazily as the evidence washes away.
I finish in the shower and dry off in record time. I’m so ready for some fucking sleep that I don’t even bother to find clothes. I simply exit the bathroom and walk straight into my bedroom, flopping down backward in the middle of the bed, wishing it was hers instead of mine.